Compiling and stapling of folded sheets of print



H. MUELLER April 12, 1966 COMPILING AND STAPLING OF FOLDED SHEETS OF PRINT 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Feb. 24, 1964 INVENTOR. fl w/'11!! April 1966 H. MUELLER 3,245,679

COMPILING AND STAPLING OF FOLDED SHEETS OF PRINT Filed Feb. 24, 1964 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 United States Patent 3,245,679 COMPILING AND STAPLING 0F FOLDED SHEETS OF PRINT Hans Mueller, 4 Buschgutweg, Zofingen, Switzerland Filed Feb. 24, 1964, Ser. No. 346,664 U Claims priority, application Switzerland, Apr. 11, 1963,

4,702/ 63 4 Claims. (Cl. 270-53) The present invention relates to a group of machines for the compiling and stapling of folded sheets of print, comprising a series of feeders for depositing the paper sheets of print from a pile onto a conveyer device for the compiled sheets.

With such groups of feeders there arises often the problem, that one or some of the sheets to be compiled, Owing to different paper qualities, must be deposited at a relatively much smaller rate than other sheets when a reliable operation is to be assured. Since all feeders of the group have to co-operate with the conveyer device in such a manner that throughout the group all the sheets belonging to one quire are compiled on the conveyer device, they have to be driven by a driving member common to them, or otherwise to be driven in synchronism. Accordingly, hitherto all the feeders of one group have to be driven at a reduced working speed, whenever one sheet has to be deposited onto the conveyer means at reduced speed even if the feeders for the other sheets could be operated at a higher working speed. This however is uneconomical. The present invention has the primary objects of improving such machine groups to allow to drive each feeder selectively at full or at half working speed.

With this and other objects in view which will become apparent later from this specification and the accompanying drawings, the present invention relates to a machine for compiling a plurality of paper sheets having, in combination, elongated conveyer means, a plurality of feeder means arranged spaced from each other along the elongated conveyor means for depositing paper sheets onto spaced portions of the conveyor means, moving means ope-ratively connected to the conveyor means for moving the same at a given speed in longitudinal direction, a drive shaft operatively connected to the moving means to be driven thereby at a speed corresponding .to the given speed, and a plurality of coupling means, one for each feeder means, for coupling the respective feeder means to the drive shaft, each of the coupling means having an output means connected to the respective feeder means and between the drive shaft and the output means speed changer means permitting to set the rotational speed of the output means to at least two different ratios relative to the speed of the drive shaft wherein one ratio is a multiple of the other ratio.

These and other features of my invention will be clearly understood from the following description of a preferred embodiment thereof given by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a plan view of such a machine group on a small scale of illustration,

FIG. 2 is a side elevation and FIG. 3 is a front elevation of a single feeder on a medium scale of illustration.

FIG. 4 is a cross sectional view and FIG. 5 is a plan view in cross section of the gear change mechanism on a large scale of illustration.

With a saddle stapling machine of known construction a conveyer device 2 likewise of known construction is associated, along with a plurality of feeders 3 indicated by reference numerals 3a to 3e. The feeders 3 are each designed and constructed for taking at each working stroke a folded sheet of print from a pile 30, and by the 3,245,679 Patented Apr. 12, 1966 'ice aid of conveyer and auxiliary drums 31, 32, 33 with grippers to deposit it in a known manner in opened condition onto the conveyer device 2. The conveyer device is driven from the saddle stapling machine 1, which latter also drives a shaft 13. Each of the feeders 3 is driven by a chain drive 300 connected to said shaft. Thereby it is attained that all the feeders co-ope-rate with the conveyer device 2, and the latter co-operates with the saddle stapling machine 1 in synchronism, all the printed sheets for one quire being deposited in the correct sequence on top of one another on the conveyer device, i.e., they are compiled there, and the stapling machine staples the sheets thus compiled in the sequence of their arrival and lays the same out fan-shape on the laying-out table 10. The working speed of the machine may be varied stepwise or steplessly. It will obviously be chosen as high as possible in order .to produce as many quires as possible.

A limit of the working speed is set for example by the capacity of the feeders to deposit the sheets fromtheir pile 30 with safety upon the conveyer device. When the working speed becomes too high the feeders will deposit a certain number of sheets beyond the conveyer device, or will tear some sheets or deposit them in an irregular fashion. The maximum working speed attainable depends to a great extent on the sort of paper used. In practice it often occurs that most of the sheets of a quire can be compiled at a relatively high working speed, while one or two sheetsof the quire have to be deposited at a reduced working speed. In this case one may either work the whole group of machines at the lower working speed or one may double the number. of feeders, in order to attain the full rate of production, the feeders being operated at a comparatively low speed and depositing identical sheets in pairs, while the stapling machine 1 operates at full speed, i.e., it is coupled by gearing of different transmission ratios with the driving shaft 13 for the feeders and with the conveyer device 2.

In the accompanying drawing a more economical solution of this problem is disclosed.

For each feeder 3 the drive shaft 13 has a double gear wheel 4 keyed on it, consisting of gears 41 and 42 which have different diameters and/ or a different number of teeth.

On a pivot shaft 5 which is mounted in the pedestal of the associated feeder 3 parallel to and above the drive shaft 13, a gear casing 50 is pivotally mounted. In this casing at one side of the drive shaft a double gear wheel 51 is mounted idly on a shaft 510 orientated parallel to the drive shaft 13, which gear wheel, in the position A of the control lever 500, meshes with the gear 41 and with a gear 61 of an output means being a gear 6 mounted idly on the drive shaft 13 together with a sprocket gear 60, and which thereby couples this driving gear wheel at the ratio 1:1 or any other fixed transmission ratio with the drive shaft 13.

On the other side of the shaft 13 in the gear casing a double gear wheel 52 is mounted idly on a likewise parallel shaft 520 said gear wheel having two gears 52a and 52b and meshing in the position B of the control lever 500 with the gear 42 and the gear 61 and thereby establishing a coupling of the output gear wheel 6 with the driving shaft 13 at half the transmission ratio. In the position 0 of the cont-r01 lever 500 as illustrated in FIG. 4 none of the intermediate gears 51, 52 is in mesh with the gear wheel 4 and with the output gear wheel 6, so that the latter runs idly or is at a standstill. Accordingly, it is readily possible to disconnect a feeder 3 from the driving shaft 13 by appropriate adjustment of the control lever 500, i.e., to disengage its driving chain 300 from the output gear wheel 6 of the associated change speed gearing independently of the other feeders or alternatively to drive it at full or half speed relative to the shaft 13.

For example the feeders 3a and 317 may operate at half the rate of the other feeders of the group, but deposit identical sheets, e.g., the wrapper sheets of the quire, so that a quire having three inner sheets and one wrapper sheet may be produced at full working speed.

While I have herein described and illustrated the acs mp ny g dr w g what may b considered a ypi al and particularly useful embodiment of my said invention, 1 wish it to bennderstood that I do not limit myself to the Pa t la d ta ls an d m nsions described and 111 1. Hated, for o v ous modifi ation w l e t a pe son skilled in the art.

Wh t I c m a my in ent n d d i e t s e by le e s te t is:

1. In a machine for compiling a plurality of paper sheets, in combination, elongated conveyor means; a plurality of feeder means arranged paced from each other along said elongated conveyor means for depositing paper sheets onto spaced portions of said conveyor means;- moving means operatively connected to said conveyor means for moving the same at a given speed in longitudinal di? rection; a drive shaft operatively connected to said moving means to be driven thereby at a speed corresponding to said given speed, and a plurality of coupling means, one for each feeder means, for coupling the respective feeder means to said drive shaft, each of said coupling means having an output means connected to the respective feeder means and between said drive shaft andrsaid output means speed changer means permitting to set the rotational speed of said output means .to at least .two diiferent ratios I613: tive to the speed of said drive shaft wherein one ratio is a multiple of the other ratio.

2, In a machine as set forth in claim 1, wherein said coupling means include a housing surrounding parts of said drive shaft; support means supporting said housing tiltahly between two end positions about an axis sub,- stantially parallel to said drive shaft; drive gear means fixed to said drive shaft for rotation therewith and having a pair of axially displaced gear rims; wherein said output means is an output vgear means idly mounted on said drive shaft and having a first gear rim arranged within. said housing and a second gear rim arranged outside of said housing; first and second intermediate gear means turnably mounted in said housing about axes spaced from and parallel to said drive shaft and having each two gear rims, the gear rims of said first intermediate gear means meshing simultaneously with said, first gear rim of said output gear means and with one of said gear rims of said drive gear means in one end position of said housing, the gear rims of said second intermediate gear means meshing simultaneously with said first gear rim of said output gear means and with the other of said gear rims of said drive gear means in the other end position ofsaid housing, whereby .the rotational speed ofthe. output gear means may be changed by tilting said housing between said two end positions and the gears oftheengaging gear means being constructed so that the speed of said output gear means in one end position is twice the speed of the output gear means in said other end position of said housing.

3. In a machine as claimed in claim 2 said housing be ing lockable in a middle position between said end'positions in which said intermediate gear means are disengagedrfrorn said output and said drive gear means.

4. In a machine as claimed in claim 2 wherein said second gear rim of said output gear means is a sprocket wheel, said feeder means including another sprocket wheel and an endless link chain coupling said two sprocket wheels.

References Cited hy the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,288,149 6/1942 Williams 270 58 3,002,746 10/1961 Lloyd et a1. 270 -58 3,057,620, 10/1962 McCain '27,05 3

EUGENE R. CAPOZIO, Primary Examiner. M. ELLISON, Assistant Examiner, 

1. IN A MACHINE FOR COMPILING A PLURALITY OF PAPER SHEETS, IN COMBINATION, ELONGATED CONVEYOR MEANS; A PLURALITY OF FEEDER MEANS ARRANGED SPACED FROM EACH OTHER ALONG SAID ELONGATED CONVEYOR MEANS FOR DEPOSITING PAPER SHEETS ONTO SPACED PORTIONS OF SAID CONVEYOR MEANS; MOVING MEANS OPERATIVELY CONNECTED TO SAID CONVEYOR MEANS FOR MOVING THE SAME AT A GIVEN SPEED IN LONGITUDINAL DIRECTION A DRIVE SHAFT OPERATIVELY CONNECTED TO SAID MOVING MEANS TO BE DRIVEN THEREBY AT A SPEED CORRESPONDING TO SAID GIVEN SPEED, AND A PLURALITY OF COUPLING MEANS, ONE FOR EACH FEEDER MEANS, FOR COUPLING THE RESPECTIVE FEEDER MEANS TO SAID DRIVE SHAFT, EACH OF SAID COUPLING MEANS HAVING AN OUTPUT MEANS CONNECTED TO THE RESPECTIVE FEEDER MEANS AND BETWEEN SAID DRIVE SHAFT AND SAID OUTPUT MEANS SPEED CHANGER MEANS PERMITTING TO SET THE ROTATIONAL SPEED OF SAID OUTPUT MEANS TO AT LEAST TWO DIFFERENT RATIOS RELATIVE TO THE SPEED OF SAID DRIVE SHAFT WHEREIN ONE RATIO IS A MULTIPLE OF THE OTHER RATIO. 